Russia, Iran, Turkey Meet In Sochi For Syria Discussions

Meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, representatives of Russia, Iran, and Turkey have kicked off two days of talks on issues related to the war in Syria.The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the officials would discuss matters including the formation of a Syrian constitutional committee, the de-escalation zones established in Syria, and humanitarian issues at the July 30-31 talks.While backing separate sides in the Syrian conflict, Turkey, Russia, and Iran launched a negotiations process last year in the Kazakh capital, Astana, mainly dealing with battlefield issues, such as cease-fires and de-escalation zones.A separate UN-led round of talks addressing political issues has taken place in Geneva.The Russian delegation in Sochi is headed by the Kremlin’s special envoy for Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Ansari and his Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal, were also expected to attend, along with the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.